Cashiers work in a variety of environments, and this means cashier responsibilities could vary significantly. A person working in this field might only run a register and ring up sales, or they could do much more. It can be said of most cashiers that they will need to be good with money and quickly be able to take money from customers and give them the appropriate change, but this is only part of what a cashier might do.
Some cashiers have to oversee exactly how much money they start and end the day with (the drawer), or they may have to watch the amount of change in a register drawer in order to determine when they need to restock change. Cashier responsibilities don’t always mean working from a cash register, though, and some people working in very simple sales environments (like at a farmer’s market or a small amusement park) could simply collect money and give change. When more complex registers are used, cashier responsibilities could include the collection of cash, checks, credit cards and other forms of payment, and the cashier will need to know how to handle and process each one of these, which is usually part of training.
Giving change remains a vital part of cashier responsibilities. People taking money must count it to make sure its total is right, and then must determine how much change to give. Some registers tell the cashier the specific amount to give back in change, but others don’t and require good basic math skills. People who staff registers and who routinely give the wrong change may be fired or may be suspected of stealing money. This makes accuracy vital to the job.
While handling money might be the largest of the cashier responsibilities, there may be others depending on location. Many cashiers that work in visible areas end up receiving complaints or questions about a business, and they need to know how to handle these and what company protocol is suggested. In many retail stores, cashier responsibilities include bagging items purchased, and possibly providing gift-wrap services too. Some retail employers have cashier responsibilities that include not only staffing the register but taking care of other aspects of a sales establishment, like stocking goods or cleaning, and a few cashiers are required to close out a store at night and balance all receipts against sales; some people may even deposit cash at the bank after closing a store.
In many cases, cashier responsibilities involve being one of the last points of contact with people as they leave a business establishment. In addition to being competent, cashiers may do best if they are friendly and have good manners. Getting to be the last impression made on the customer means the cashier can seriously influence a store’s business and encourage repeat customers through professional but friendly behavior. This is important to bear in mind when people “work a register.” They may have more influence than they know on the business for which they work.
